


Leave Nothing But Footprints

by xmypandabear



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Actually just one big cliché, Awkward Peter Parker, Bad Cooking, Camping, Camping clichés, Card Games, Cooking, Crack, Cute, Drabbles, F/M, Failed Attempts at Humor, Family, Father-Son Relationship, Ficlet, Fireflies, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Gen, Geocaching - Freeform, Heart-to-Heart, Humor, Infinity War safe zone, Iron Dad, Mornings are difficult, Parent Tony Stark, Post-Civil War (Marvel), Spider-son, Stargazing, career planning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-08-04
Packaged: 2019-06-11 12:34:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 6,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15315606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xmypandabear/pseuds/xmypandabear
Summary: Tony and Peter go camping for one week.(Literally, that's it. A buttload of camping clichés like roasting marshmallows, singing campfire songs, fireflies, bugs, stargazing, etc for your pleasure).





	1. Pepper

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically to challenge myself... by keeping each section to less than 500 words (so that some can be written every day). And also to practice writing these two IC in a pretty OOC context (because lets be real, Peter might go camping but Tony? Pfffffffffft).

“Pep, I need a tent.”

Pepper blinked and instinctively looked up, even though she knew Tony was still in his lab and it was just his voice through F.R.I.D.A.Y.

“A tent?” she repeated.

“A big tent, probably the most expensive you can find, with lots of room to move around in, also it has to be durable - and private, I don’t want anyone being able to look in if I can help it -”

“Why do you need -?”

“Also gonna need one of those things that people use to sleep in tents with, different colours, can roll it up -”

“A sleeping bag?” she sat back in her chair with raised eyebrows.

“Yes, and whatever else people take with them when they go camping, I’m bringing up a list now -”

“ _Tony_!” she interrupted, not quite able to keep the snap out her tone. “Why do you want me to buy camping equipment?”

“Because I’m going camping, Pep, keep up,” Tony huffed. “You’re gonna need to buy two of everything as well, one for me and one for the kid.”

 _Oh_. _Of course Peter's involved._

“You’re going camping… with Peter?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry, let me repeat that. _You’re_ going camping? With Peter?”

“I can go camping,” Tony sounded offended. “How hard can it be? What, build a tent? Hello, engineer here. Make a fire? I make fires even when I don’t _mean_ to. What else is there?”

Pepper sighed. “Tony, you once described it as paying money to live like a homeless person.”

“What, my opinion can’t change? It’s called character growth Pep.”

"How did he get you to agree to this?"

"Hmm?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Tony, you wouldn't just agree to go camping. What made you say yes?"

"... I don't want to talk about it."

"Tony..."

" _I said I don't want to talk about it!_ "

“... Uh huh.”

“Anyway, I’m sending you over a list – just buy everything that’s on there.” There was a corresponding ping on her Stablet as the list, presumably, came through. “While you’re at it, book us into whatever camping place is closest. Make sure it’s within our satellite though – and I’m not going somewhere where you have to take a shit in a bush, Pep, so watch the facilities - buy the campsite if you have to.”

She shook her head in disbelief. “Anything else, _sir_?”

“… Call me that again ‘cause it was _hot -_ ”

“Well, some of us have actual work to do. If I have time, I'll look into it."

"Jealousy looks really good on you darling."


	2. May

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 word over 500 isn't bad right? RIGHT? T_T

“It’s very nice of Tony to do this,” May said.

“You mean spend time with me?” Peter gasped, pretending to be offended.

“Well, you are a monster in the morning,” she said without missing a beat and then dodged his half-hearted elbow with a laugh. “I meant go camping. He never struck me as the type.”

“… Yeah."

She sensed his hesitation. “Did I read him wrong? I just thought he would never have the patience.”

“No! No, no, he definitely isn’t the kind of guy who goes… camping,” Peter finished with a small wince.

May frowned. “You realise I’m getting some very strange vibes right now."

“Can’t we just – appreciate that _Tony Stark_ is coming with me on a camping trip?” he asked. “I mean what does it matter why, really? It’s a whole week just me and him, Spider-Man and Iron-Man -”

“You’re taking the suit?”

Peter valiantly didn’t roll his eyes. “What if something happens and Spider-Man’s needed?”

“Oh yes, with all those busy roads you need to help little old ladies cross.”

“I don’t _just_ help old ladies!”

“You have such a cute pout -” she reached out and pinched his cheek. He batted her hands away and shifted along the porch a few inches to convey how unimpressed he was. “So why is he going camping with you?”

He spread his hands out in the universal ‘I dunno’ gesture. “Does anyone really know why Tony Stark does anything?”

“Maybe I should ring up and tell him I don’t feel comfortable -” she shook her head and started reaching for her phone.

“No!” he lunged forward and snatched it away. “You promised no takebacks -”

“Before you left me dubious about why he was taking you camping-"

“Look it’s – he’s Iron-Man, he’s just got all these depths - like an onion! And one day we were on the phone, just chilling casual like two casual people, and he was like ‘hey kid, you want to go camping?’ and I was like ‘ _Whaaat Mr Stark how did you know_?’ and -” he paused when she crossed her arms.

“What did you do, Peter?” Despite her pose, she sounded more resigned than angry.

“Um.”

He was lucky – he spotted Happy’s car coming down the street.

“Okay well this was great May, thanks for everything I love you so much -” he picked up his backpack and dashed out to the car, yanking the door open before Happy had even finished parking.

“ _Peter -_ ”

“Hi ready! You happy? I’m happy let’s go already,” he threw his stuff in and then followed, shut the door and stuck his head out. “Bye May see you in a week!” Happy eyed him worriedly and Peter widened his eyes and gestured for Happy to get a move on.

“Sheesh kid,” Happy muttered but obeyed.

“Peter, what did you do?!” May shouted after them as they drove off. Peter mimed not being able to hear her and just waved till she was out of sight.


	3. Arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi & thank you to all those who've subscribed, left kudos, bookmarked and commented. Please enjoy Tony over-complicating things.

_Day 1 - Morning Part 1_

When Peter hopped out the car, he had only the clothes on his back and the one rucksack May had filled to the brim with everything she'd thought he'd need over the week. When Mr Stark stepped out the car in his shades, he joined Happy in pulling out at least ten bags and dumping them on the area of the campsite where their tent was going.

Peter stared, wide-eyed, at the number of bags.

"What are those?!" he gestured at them.

"Everything we need for camping kid," Tony sniffed. "I read a list. Didn't you?" he eyed Peter's lone rucksack judgementally.

Deciding not to dignify that with a response, Peter turned to Happy. "Are you gonna join us?"

Happy laughed.

He was still laughing when he drove away. Tony and Peter watched silently as the car manoeuvred down through the campsite, far over to the other side where all the gorgeous static caravans were set up. They watched a black silhouette get out, pull something out the car and then make his way inside.

"Right," Tony rubbed his hands together and spun around to their massive pile of bags. "Camping 101, set up the tent. Move it Parker, we don't have all day."

Peter looked at the tent bag that was so big it barely fit in his arms and wondered if it would be better to join Happy.

"It's like 10am -"

"And there are many things to do and very little time, so chop chop Spiderling."

Together, they pulled the tent out its bag and separated the canvas from the tent pegs and poles. The more they revealed, the more hesitant Peter became.

"Mr Stark, how big is this tent?"

"Pepper bought it," Tony shrugged, already beginning to put the poles together. Peter checked the packaging.

"It's meant to be for eight people."

His mentor didn't stop fiddling as he scoffed, "If they were the size of a pole, sure."

"I don't think being too small is the real issue here..."

"There!" Tony eyed his creation happily. "Don't know what Pepper was talking about."

"Uh, Mr Stark..."

"Now, we just drape the canvas over this -"

"That's not how you set up a tent Mr Stark!" Peter shouted. He waved a hand at Tony's construction - an admittedly impressive frame, all the tent poles connected together correctly in the most efficient way possible (a true mechanical work of art), but that was all it was. Crucially, none of the tent poles had been put inside the tent. “Haven’t you ever done this before?”

“I’m Iron-Man,” Tony sniffed.

“… That was a no, wasn’t it?”

“Iron-Man doesn’t need to use tents! I am the tent!”


	4. Oz

_Day 1 - Morning part 2_

“There must be an easier way to set this up,” Tony said from his new chair, thinking about how much effort they’d had to put in.

Opposite, on his own chair, the kid shrugged. “There’re these pop-up tents you can use,” he said. He didn’t look like he’d spent the past hour working out at all. “But this is actually kind of cool. There’s so much space! What’re we even gonna do with it?” he looked around the communal area with wide eyes. His barely hidden glee made Tony smile; he had to turn away so Peter didn’t see.

“So what are we doing first, kid?” he asked when enough time had passed and he wasn't being suffocated with _feelings_.

“Can we… can we explore the campsite first?” Peter looked a little nervous. “It’s been years since I was here, might be nice to see how it’s changed?”

“Oh,” Tony blinked. The kid apparently read too much into that, by the way he started rambling.

“We came here a few times when I was a kid. It was a few times for a few years, ‘till my parents – a-and then with Uncle Ben and Aunt May, it was a bit too far to drive and money -” he broke off and looked down, uncomfortable.

Tony decided to address the only safe part of that sentence. “I doubt it’s changed since yesterday, _kid_.”

There was a beat, then, “I guess everyone’s a kid compared to you Mr Stark,” Peter adopted a carefree tone. “So I’m not offended.”

“Just for that,” he pointed his finger at the kid. “You’re on cooking duty first.”

“Awesome!”

He was flummoxed. “That’s meant to be a punishment. Why are you happy?”

“Never had an MRE before,” Peter glanced over at the discarded duffel bag. They’d discovered many silver packets of MREs, presumably a gift from Rhodey, and Tony had absolutely no intention of eating any of them. There was a reason he’d asked Pepper to sort out everything. “It’s kinda exciting 'cause there's lots of jokes and stuff.”

“Kid, if that’s your idea of a good time…”

“Well, exploring is,” the kid jumped out his chair with ease. “When we’ve checked it all out, we can plan what we’re gonna do.”

Tony got to his feet much more slowly. “Alright, lead on Dorothy.”

At that, Peter perked up and spun around in the entrance to look at him. “Does that make you the Tin-Iron-Man?” he paused, then frowned. "Iron-Tin Man? Or just Iron-Man? But then it's not really different..."

Tony shoved the kid outside. “Just keep walking Parker."

It was going to be a long week.


	5. Go Fish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pfft so much for the whole 'update every day' thing. Working twelve hour shifts is so exhausting... anyway. 
> 
> Hi & welcome & cheers to all my new subscribers, big love for those leaving kudos and, of course, my commenters. Enjoy some sweet sweet fluff.

_Day 1 - Afternoon_

The air crackled with tension. Peter fought the urge to wipe his sweaty palms on his trousers and tried to match Mr Stark's intense stare with one of his own. Finally, his mentor sat back, adopted a faux-casual pose and asked,

"Got any fours?"

Peter grinned. "Go fish."

Without a word, Tony drew a card from the deck. There were only a few cards left; any mistake now could throw the game for either of them. Peter was determined to not lose.

"Got any sixes?" he asked and was rewarded by Mr Stark handing over three of them. "Yes!" he added them to his collection on the table. He knew he had less than Mr Stark, but there was a possibility he could make a comeback if he didn't make a mistake here. "What about tens?"

"Take a dive kid," Mr Stark said. Peter groaned and reluctantly took the second to last card from the deck. This was it - all hope was lost, Mr Stark had won. "Got any threes?" The smirk accompanying his words showed the question was just for show. Peter huffed and handed his entire hand over because clearly Mr Stark knew what he had left. "You did well for a first timer."

He pouted. "I've played Go Fish before!"

"A first timer against me," Mr Stark corrected as he shuffled the cards back together. "I was in casinos when you were in diapers kid, of course I'm going to be better than you."

"Oh," Peter blinked, then frowned. "Gambling?" The look Mr Stark gave him said that had been a stupid question. "I don't think that's something to be proud of, Mr Stark."

His mentor scoffed. "We're not even touching that topic 'till you're either twenty-one or your aunt stops being weirdly terrifying."

"... Okay."

Mr Stark started dealing out the deck again and Peter listened to the patter of the rain. Without the distraction of the game, he suddenly became aware of how much colder it was. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. It wasn't like in the city, where the warmth of the buildings and technology cocooned him a little; out here he was more exposed, and more sensitive. Also, the atmospheric change made him feel itchy.

He was so focused on trying to warm up a little that he didn't pay attention to Mr Stark getting up until, a few seconds later, he was hit in the face with an item of clothing.

"Bwah!" He looked down at the hoodie in his arms in confusion. "What -?"

"We don't want the Spiderling freezing to death on the first day," Mr Stark shrugged as he sat back down. He looked a little uncomfortable, like he didn't want Peter to press, but there was no way Peter could let this go so easily because -

"Oh my god you wear hoodies Ned owes me ten bucks -"

His mentor huffed. "I could always take it back..."

"No!" Peter hastily pulled it on and burrowed deep. It was fluffy inside, cosy, and it smelled a little like Mr Stark's cologne. He looked down and realised, "This is your old MIT hoodie."

"... No, it isn't."

"I-I can't wear this," he looked up at his mentor, who raised an eyebrow questioningly. "It's not... mine." Mr Stark gave him the exact same ' _what a dumb kid_ ' expression he had during the first conversation in Peter's room and Peter realised there really wouldn't be any arguing here, so instead he put as much feeling as he could into his next words. "Thanks, Mr Stark."

"Jeez kid, it's just a hoodie," Mr Stark coughed, fingers making an aborted move towards his face before picking up his new hand of cards instead. He studied them intently.

Peter smiled softly and picked up his own hand, thinking that even if he lost every game, it was worth it just to be here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 653 words... this one gets to be longer because I missed two days so it's like making up for that? Yeah let's go with that...


	6. MREs

_Day 1 - Evening_

"Hey Mr Stark, how can you tell when something's burnt?"

Tony twisted around in the chair to narrow his eyes at the kid. "Your tone is far too carefree for that kind of question."

"It's not black or hard like I've sometimes seen from May," Peter continued as he peered into the saucepan, "but it's kinda reminding me of the last time I puked, I was like twelve and Ned and I had had an entire tub of ice cream and-"

"Yeah I don't want to hear about any of this, kid."

"... Okay that's fair."

An awkward silence fell between them as the kid went back to stirring and Tony bit back a sigh as he got to his feet. Perhaps he'd been too hasty entrusting Peter with the day's meal because, if he thought about it longer, he'd have remembered May wasn't exactly the best cook either. He joined the kid at the stove and looked over his shoulder at the food, silently agreeing it did look like puke, before focusing on the MIT hoodie Peter was still wearing. It was slightly too big, but the kid had stopped shivering since putting it on so Tony counted that as a win.

"Aren't you a super sensitive little Spiderling anyway?" he wondered out-loud and ignored the dark look from the kid. "Couldn't you smell the food burning before it becomes a problem?"

Peter shrugged and one of the sleeves he'd rolled up slipped down. "I've never really cooked before, so..."

"But your aunt -"

"I'm not usually in the same room when she cooks," he pointed out. He still hadn't re-rolled the sleeve back up and, eyeing how close it was dangling to the food in the saucepan, Tony felt justified in reaching out, holding the kid's arm and rolling up the sleeve himself.

Peter's cheeks reddened and he pulled away. "I can do it!"

Tony let the kid keep his pride and looked back at the mush Peter was cooking. "Pepper did give us actual food, you know."

"But I've _committed_ now," Peter huffed and looked back at the saucepan. "Besides, one time May and I were in this restaurant and we got this disgusting looking meal, like everything was just mushed together, but it tasted _amazing_ so like, maybe this is gonna be like that?"

"You honestly believe that?"

"... No," Peter drooped. "This is so sad. Alexa, play despacito." Tony made sure not to react aside from a stern look of disapproval, but Peter just laughed at him then continued, much brighter, "I'm not giving up."

Tony resigned himself to a puke dinner and warned, "If I'm sick tomorrow..."

"You won't get sick! 'Cause yeah, it's looking fifty fifty right now _but_ you just gotta ask yourself one question," Peter paused dramatically. "Do you trust Colonel Rhodes not to poison you? And like, I think you do, so we're gonna be fine."

Well, famous last words and all that.


	7. Stargazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two in one day, to make up for missing two days. Bam. (though sorry if this spams your inbox D:) Also, I know I promised stargazing, but there's a reason it happens like this, I swear.

_Day 1 - Night_

There was no chance Peter would go to bed early.

Spending most of the afternoon inside at Mr Stark's request because of the rain had left him restless and, now it had stopped, he desperately wanted to go out. Specifically, he wanted to go stargazing, but he'd kind of hoped to do it together with Mr Stark and, well... The other man had settled down on his bed, though he was still awake and tapping on his phone. In the dim gas light, plus the illumination from his phone, Peter could see how tired Mr Stark really was. His mentor was usually so filled with manic energy and snark, his body always trying to match the speed of his brain, that it was weird to see him so still.

So as much as he desperately wanted to, he decided he would wait until another night to invite Mr Stark with him.

"Mr Stark, is it okay if I go out stargazing?"

Mr Stark snorted and didn't look up from his phone. "Kid, I'm not your aunt. So long as you don't disturb me coming or going, I don't care what you do."

"Oh," Peter blinked and wondered why the freedom didn't make him happier. "Okay." He pulled out the star map he'd brought and headed to the tent entrance, mind already wondering where the best spot to settle would be, when Mr Stark cleared his throat and said,

"You're going to want to take something to sit on."

"Huh?" Peter looked over his shoulder.

Mr Stark finally looked up from his phone with his usual 'do I _really_ have to explain this to you' expression. "It's been raining. The ground is dirty. Ergo..." he spread his hands out to emphasise his point.

"Oh! Right. Yeah. That's - that's a good idea," he stuttered and then cursed himself. He'd been doing so well all day. "Um..." he glanced back at his backpack and wondered what he could bring. Maybe his raincoat?

"There's a mat somewhere there," Mr Stark waved a hand at the corner of the tent they'd stuffed the rest of the not-needed-immediately items in. Peter had a hunt and, a few minutes later, was pulling out what looked like a large picnic mat.

"This?" he checked.

"Sure," Mr Stark shrugged and looked back at his phone, making clear his part was now done. Peter bit his lip and made his way back to the tent entrance with his two items, then hesitated. Was he supposed to say goodbye or something? "So I'm, uh, gonna go out now so like... don't wait up for me or anything?" he hesitated then, figuring there was no harm in asking, added, "Unless you wanna come too?"

There was a long silence, then Mr Stark said, "Stargazing isn't really my thing."

"Cool, cool cool cool, that's what I figured," he said, then cursing himself for how awkward he sounded. "So I'm just gonna -" he gestured at the entrance.

"Night kid," his mentor helped.

"... Night Mr Stark."

Peter fled out before he could make it worse and, once he was a good distance away, let out a heavy sigh and smacked his forehead. He could already think of a hundred different things he could've said to sound cooler.

"Okay, don't think about it," he said to himself and looked up at the night sky. "Let's just go find some stars."


	8. Getting Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi to all of my many new subscribers! Thank you to all my commenters and kudos leavers <3
> 
> Are you a morning person? I'm not a morning person. Mornings suck.

_Day 2 – Morning_

Tony staggered out into the communal area and tripped over the strap of a bag. He tried to save himself by grabbing hold of the edge of the nearby table and brought it down with him instead in a loud crash.

" _Jesus_ ," he muttered into the ground as plastic bowls scattered around him. Why the fuck did people like camping again?

He pushed himself up with a low groan and, after making sure he hadn't got covered in the leftovers of last night's... sustenance, gave one look at the cooker for breakfast and decided it was all too fucking much. He much more cautiously shuffled over to Peter's side of the tent and tried to knock - only to curse when he realised why he couldn't. He gave it only a moment's consideration before grabbing the zip and pulling it down.

"Rise and shine Parker!" he shouted as he headed back to his own side. "We're gonna make people here do their jobs."

There was no response.

Tony changed into more presentable clothes, fished his favourite sunglasses out and put them on to hide the dark circles from his bad night's sleep (a combination of restlessness in the unnatural silence and the kid not arriving back until late), and headed back to the kid's room.

"Kid?" he poked his head in. At first, he couldn't spot the brat. Then, something stirred and he realised Peter had cocooned himself deep in the sleeping bag on the camping bed, to the point only a few tufts of hair were visible. "Up and at 'em brat!" he called. "Sun's shining, birds are singing, the -" he frowned and muttered, "What else happens in the morning? Whatever. Chop chop! Man needs real sustenance, and by man I mean me, obviously, you're definitely not there yet, though we can revisit once you start shaving if you insist -"

Finally, there was a very weak moan in response.

"Ah, he awakens! What was that?" Tony cupped a hand to his ear. "I didn't hear you."

Another indistinguishable mumble answered.

This wasn't working. He'd thought it a myth teenagers struggled to get up. When he'd been a teenager, his sleeping patterns had been as irregular as they were now. He glanced around for a way to wake the kid up quickly and spied a bottle of water a few feet away. He glanced back at the slumbering teenager and decided needs must in times of crisis - and Tony was definitely in crisis (this whole damn trip counted as one, surely?).

"If you aren't up in ten seconds, I'm pouring this bottle of water on you," he warned. There was no response at all and, after ten seconds, he shrugged, leant across and poured the water bottle over the back and neck of the kid, the only places he could reach.

A loud girlish scream echoed throughout the campsite.


	9. Geocaching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many subscribers. Hi! Come say hi back occasionally <3 Muchus lovus for my commenters.
> 
> Enjoy some geocaching (if you haven't, I recommend! Good fun).

_Day 2 - Afternoon_

"So this... geocaching, it's a teen thing? Some kind of nerdy collector's card you can show off to your friends?"

"It's for everyone Mr Stark." Peter was glad he was in front so Mr Stark wouldn't see him rolling his eyes, not entirely over his rude awakening. He looked down at his phone, the GPS, then said, "I think we're here."

"Here?"

They came to a halt and looked around. They were on a trail not far from the campsite, standing on the edge of a field with a church in the distance, but there was no sign of anything hidden. Peter checked again and confirmed, "Yup. We're like right on top of it."

"You sure you're reading it right?" Mr Stark peered over his shoulder. Peter didn't roll his eyes this time, but it was close.

"There is a hint," Peter said and touched the screen to reveal it. "Okay. 'Hidden low, just off the path at the base of a tree.'" He scanned the area and pointed to the large tree just ahead on the left. "That one?" He led the way and Mr Stark followed, his hands shoved in his pockets and eyes hidden behind some sunglasses. Peter knelt and had a look around, but he couldn't see anything. "See it?" he glanced up at his mentor.

"Kid, I don't even know what I'm looking for," Mr Stark shrugged and turned to the side, face towards the sun. He wouldn't be any help.

"It's usually, like, some kind of container," Peter explained as he shuffled a little around the tree. There was still nothing obvious, but... "Sometimes it's hidden behind stuff. Like rocks and things."

"Uh huh."

Peter glanced over his shoulder and saw Mr Stark was now on his phone, not paying attention. He tried not to feel disappointed - it wasn't like Mr Stark _had_ to enjoy it - but he'd thought he might because it was like solving a puzzle. Something they could both do while getting out and about. He restarted his search, but after a few seconds stopped and felt determination bleed away the disappointment. He'd been doing all of it and Mr Stark had been humouring him - but if Peter could get Mr Stark doing more, maybe he'd care more.

"Mr Stark, can you help me look?" he asked.

Mr Stark raised an eyebrow and eyed the dirt. "You want me to get down on my knees?"

"You're right!" Peter pretended he'd had an epiphany. "Sorry, I forgot you wouldn't be able to get back up. I know the elderly have a lot of knee problems -"

"Thin ice, Parker -"

"- so you can hold my phone instead," he shoved his phone into Mr Stark's hand, easily ignoring the flinch and his mentor's attempt to rip his hands away, then made a show of widening his eyes and looking very concerned. "Unless your grip has weakened too?"

Mr Stark flailed, looked between him and the phone in his hands a few times like he couldn't believe what had happened, then clearly regained his composure and cleared his throat. "Alright kid, I'll accept your challenge. Give me two minutes."

Peter punched the air in glee as soon as Mr Stark's back was to him, then had to the action into a hand running through his hair when the older man shot him a suspicious look. When Mr Stark went back to his hunt, he breathed a sigh of relief. Now, he just had to -

"Hey kid, is this it?"

Aww man, no _way_.


	10. Fireflies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops. That every day thing just went out the window. Sorry! I've been busy writing for my other fics. Inspiration struck! But I've been a bit upset and depressed these past few days and I really really needed some fluff, so here. Have this.

_Day 2 - Evening_

At first, Tony wasn't paying any attention to the kid. The sun had just set, it was almost pitch-black outside and he was in that annoying state where his body was tired and sore from the day's trekking around, while his mind was buzzing because it hadn't had as much stimulation as it usually did. It left him restless and irritable and he didn't want to take it out on the kid, so he'd hauled himself up in his 'bedroom' for the second evening in a row.

All that meant, really, was that he didn't notice Peter had gone outside until he heard a faint exclamation of, "Mr Stark! Look!"

The excitement suggested it wasn't anything bad, but his heart still beat a little faster in nervous anticipation as he followed the kid out. He had to pause in the entrance and wait until his eyes adjusted, then he squinted through the dark and finally made out Peter's silhouette at the edge of their campsite.

"What's up kid?" he moved to stand next to Peter.

"Look!" The kid pointed into the trees and Tony followed. He didn't see anything initially, just pitch darkness, but then suddenly there was a small sparkle. He tensed, fingers twitching towards his watch as he tried to assess what it was, but it was only when he saw another sparkle, and another, the lights starting to come quicker and quicker, that he realised what it was.

"Fireflies?" he muttered.

"It's like the stars came down to put on a show just for us," Peter whispered, as if speaking would scare them away. Tony didn't say it out loud, but he agreed. He'd never actually seen fireflies in person before, had never been anywhere they would frequent. "I'd totally forgotten they were here."

That's right - the kid had come here before. It had come up yesterday, but it hadn't been safe to ask, then. Tony glanced back at Peter. He looked like he was in a good mood, so perhaps -

"Did you try and catch them?"

That seemed like something baby!Peter would do.

"Of course," Peter grinned. "But I think my hands were too small or something. My - dad, he used to catch them for me and my mum." There was the slightest hesitation there, a tiny hitch in an otherwise cheerful sentence, and Tony realised then that the kid never spoke about his parents (or his uncle, for that matter). He debated whether he was up for going somewhere there were likely to be _feelings_ , but Peter made the decision for him. "My mum loved them, but she was too scared she'd hurt them so she never tried." His tone turned a little wistful. "I'd forgotten that, too." Tony cursed himself then because he was suddenly filled with curiosity.

He knew what had happened to them, had looked it up before meeting Peter for the first time, but somehow the names Richard and Mary Parker had taken on more significance the more he got to know the kid.

"What do you remember about them?" he asked. He pitched his voice to be low and casual, as if it didn't really matter whether Peter answered or not, because he didn't want to either pressure or spook him. Peter was silent for so long Tony thought about making a comment to get them past the awkward moment when -

"Not a lot." Peter seemed to curl in on himself. "It's more little things you know? I'll suddenly smell something and it'll bring it back, or my aunt will make a comment but... really..." he paused. "They were both scientists. I remember that."

Tony hesitated, then finally admitted, "I know. I met them a long time ago." Peter spun to face him, eyes wide and mouth dropped, and Tony found he couldn't keep eye contact. He turned back to the forest and focused on the fireflies as he said, "Seemed like nice people. Pretty damn smart. Actually asked them to work for me, but they refused - they wanted to do their own thing, I guess," he waved a hand dismissively. "They did end up consulting on a few projects though. Small world, right?"

"... Right," the kid agreed, dropping his gaze to the floor. Tony waited. "Do you think... they'd be mad? About Spider-Man?"

"Nah," Tony said. He hadn't spoken to them much, and it was a long time ago now, but he felt confident anyway.

"Really? You knew them that well?"

"... I didn't," he sighed, not wanting to lie, but finally turned back to look at Peter. "But I know how your aunt feels, and I know how I feel, and I can't imagine they'd feel any different."

Only then did he realise what he'd implied.

"You mean it?" Peter's voice was hesitant, uncertain, but there was a thin thread of hope there that tugged on Tony's heartstrings. When he met the kid's eyes, he realised Peter wasn't asking for his parents - or, at least, he wasn't only asking about his parents, and some stupid instinct had Tony reaching out and ruffling the kid's hair before he'd thought it through.

"Yeah kid, I do."

He kept his hand on top of Peter's head, feeling awkward, but the way Peter brightened and seemed to grow taller made it worth it. Then it was too much for him and he pulled back, took a step away and cleared his throat.

"So, about catching these fireflies. Got any tips from your old man?"

Peter, thankfully, accepted the change without a word of protest, just a soft smile. "So, he always said you should cup your hands like this..."


	11. Career Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once more, hello to my many new subscribers, and a huge thank you to everyone leaving kudos, and a massive ILY to all my commenters. Y'all make my day and motivate me to continue <3

_Day Three – Morning_

Despite the late night catching fireflies, Peter managed to haul himself out of bed earlier than Mr Stark.

It was mostly deliberate. He didn't want to risk being covered in water again (he'd sworn vengeance and planned for payback when Mr Stark least expected it), but also the previous morning they had eaten breakfast at the place on site and, although it had tasted fine, it had felt like cheating. Plus, Miss Potts had gone to a lot of trouble to make sure they actually had cooking equipment and food to cook with, so not using it would be a waste! And so, Peter was tiptoeing around the tent, transferring all the things he'd need to cook breakfast outside so he wouldn't disturb his mentor.

He hadn't lied when he'd told Mr Stark he didn't really cook, but he'd seen May cook bacon and eggs enough times he thought he'd be okay. The camping stove looked a little scary, but he was Spider-Man. Spider-Man could do anything!

Still, he spent a few minutes before starting watching a quick video on Youtube just to make sure.

As he started cooking, he glanced over the campsite. He hadn't appreciated it earlier but they were on one of the highest parts and had a beautiful view. Maybe tomorrow he and Mr Stark could watch the sunrise? His gaze settled on the static caravans and he wondered how Happy was doing. He hadn't seen or heard anything since they'd arrived (and he didn't really get why the man had even come if he wasn't going to do things with them).

Oh well, his loss.

It didn't take a lot of effort to cook the bacon and eggs, though it was a struggle to use the smaller stove with two separate pans as they were slightly too large. He'd just started dishing up when he heard a zip being undone.

"Morning Mr Stark!" he called but didn't dare look away. Everything had gone well, but it would be just his luck to screw it up at the very end. Only when he felt the food and equipment were safe did he look over his shoulder. Mr Stark's head was poked outside the tent, his hair an absolute mess and his eyes still had huge dark circles underneath them. Peter frowned - wasn't he sleeping well?

"What're you up to kid?" Mr Stark asked and even his voice sounded a little rough.

"Breakfast." Yeah, no way was Peter confident enough to ask about Mr Stark's sleeping habits.

"... Why?"

Peter shrugged. "Why not?"

"Huh."

His mentor looked like he didn't know how to take that. He stared between Peter and the food for a few more seconds, then visibly shook himself and ducked back into the tent. Peter stood awkwardly, wondering whether he should take the plate in, and ended up dithering so long the decision was taken away from him. Mr Stark reappeared, looking much more presentable, and brought the two chairs and table with him.

"Thanks," Peter said, a little embarrassed he hadn't thought about that. Mr Stark just grunted and, within a few seconds, had set it up and sat down. Peter put the two plates on the table and then, when his mentor clearly inspected them, felt butterflies in his stomach. "U-um, I know it's not much, but I've done it with May before and I thought it would be kind of safe so -"

"Just sit down and eat already."

Peter sat and started eating.

"Well kid, don't get your hopes up about becoming a chef," Mr Stark said after he'd finished.

"It was that bad?" Peter's heart sank. It had tasted okay to him, but of course Mr Stark was probably used to something much fancier...

"Not bad, but it's hard to screw up eggs and bacon," Mr Stark hesitated. "But thanks. For cooking. It's not often that -" he closed his mouth suddenly, very clearly deciding not to finish that sentence. Curiosity burned inside Peter but before he could say anything, his mentor said, "You weren't planning on being a chef, right? I didn't just crush all your hopes and dreams?"

That made Peter laugh. It was unexpected, but it eased the sting of the earlier criticism a little. "No, I don't want to be a chef. Actually Ned and I -" he broke off and looked down at his plate, remembering the last time he'd babbled on about something. "You don't want to hear about that."

There was a silence for a moment, then Mr Stark said, "Come on kid, now I _have_ to know. What nefarious plans have you and your sidekick got planned? World domination?"

"Guy in the chair," Peter corrected as he looked back at his mentor.

"Hmm?"

"Not sidekick."

Mr Stark sighed, but there was a half-smile on his face. "Alright, what plans do you and your _guy in the chair_ have?"

Peter knew better than to say Spider-Man, even though he and Ned had fantasised about being part of the Avengers full-time a lot.

"We're thinking MIT," he said, a little nervous because what if Mr Stark didn't think he could make it?

"Computer Science?"

"How'd you -?"

"Educated guess," Mr Stark chuckled. "You know I'm a kick-ass reference right? I can speak to some people - hell, it's like your place is already guaranteed."

Peter stared at Mr Stark. "Are you serious?"

"You've got a lot of potential," his mentor said, though he glanced to the side, seemingly enjoying the view. "Why wouldn't I support that?"

"Um..." Peter wanted to get excited, but, "For Ned too?"

"He's the one who hacked my suit?" Mr Stark checked. When Peter nodded, he sighed. "Sure, him too. Why not?"

"Oh my god that's amazing Mr Stark oh man I gotta tell Ned -" he started to pull out his phone.

"On one condition," Mr Stark said and Peter froze. "You still have to get top marks. My word won't count for anything if you don't show it yourselves." Peter nodded frantically. That was fair, more than, and he and Ned had been planning on doing that anyway. Once he'd shot off the text, he looked back at his mentor.

"Mr Stark, I think I love you."

Mr Stark smirked. “That’s what they all say, kid.”  

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! Feel free to leave an idea down below lololol.


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